Sid and Nancy (1986)
84%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
4 wins & 2 nominations total
Sid and Nancy is a film that captures the essence of punk rock and the tragic love story of two of its most iconic figures. Alex Cox’s direction and the performances of Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb are nothing short of brilliant, bringing to life the raw energy and destructive passion of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. The film is a gritty and unflinching portrayal of addiction, violence, and the dark side of fame, but it also has moments of humor and tenderness that make it a truly unforgettable cinematic experience. Sid and Nancy is a must-see for anyone interested in punk rock, British cinema, or the human condition.
Sid and Nancy is the kind of movie that makes you want to start a punk band, dye your hair neon green, and get a tattoo of a safety pin. It’s a wild ride through the seedy underbelly of the music scene, with Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb giving performances that will make your jaw drop. Sure, it’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking for a movie that’s as raw and real as it gets, Sid and Nancy is the one for you.
Production Company(ies)
Bandai Visual Company, Cinequanon Eisei Gekijo
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Oakland Court, Holland Park, London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1986
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 1986 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2006
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
starring Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Andrew Schofield, Debby Bishop, Tony London, directed by Alex Cox, written by Alex Cox, Abbe Wool, biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ryan Gilbey, Desmond Ryan, Nigel Andrews, Jay Boyar, Gene Siskel, Dave Kehr, Peter Sobczynski, Matt Brunson, Grant Watson, Alexa Dalby, produced by Eric Fellner, R MPAA rating, punk rock, Sex Pistols, U.S tour, troubled relationship, drug addiction, co-dependency, Johnny Rotten, Malcolm McLaren, bassist, temperamental, troubled girlfriend, American, groupie, heroin, addiction, despair, solo career, inaccurate, flawed, mesmerizing, interesting character, biopic, volatile, musical icon, short life, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, critic reviews, audience reviews
Worldwide gross: $2,850,707
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,898,420
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,039
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 861,333
US/Canada gross: $2,826,523
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,831,414
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,684
US/Canada opening weekend: $50,829
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $140,831
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,808
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $4,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $11,082,753
Production budget ranking: 1,629
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,968,062
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$9,152,395
ROI to date (est.): -54%
ROI ranking: 1,712
Chloe Webb – Nancy Spungen
David Hayman – Malcolm (McLaren)
Andrew Schofield – Johnny Rotten
Debby Bishop – Phoebe
Tony London – Steve
Director(s)
Alex Cox
Writer(s)
Alex Cox, Abbe Wool
Producer(s)
Eric Fellner
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
4 wins & 2 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (69) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (8)
Sid and Nancy has some claim on being the finest British film of the 1980s.
September 15, 2016
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
They are more than zombies doing needlepoint on each other’s veins. Both are brought to life in complex, deeply felt performances from two actors who have abandoned themselves to enormously demanding and difficult roles.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 4/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Every character is booked through to hell or purgatory. But we gasp at the inventiveness, ferocity and cuckoo anarchy with which these rockers prepared their route to destruction or damnation.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Sid & Nancy is an honorable try, but it could have been better had Cox found a way to imbue the movie with some of the sheer zaniness of his Repo Man.
August 9, 2016
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Once we sense a glimmer of talent and accept these people as human beings, the tragedy of their drug use resonates enormously.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
This is a love story — an unlikely, perverse, disturbing love story, but a genuine one.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Rather than trade in the overt romanticization of its subject, Sid & Nancy instead offers a perceptive observation of Vicious and Spungen as people.
November 28, 2021
Peter Sobczynski
The Spool
Alex Cox’s eye for capturing the grungy London and New York scenes in the late 1970s provides the picture with an added kick.
October 11, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
This is arguably Cox’s finest film. It’s arguably one of the United Kingdom’s finest.
January 5, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
Neil Young may have namedropped Johnny Rotten in “My My, Hey Hey” but it’s Vicious he was really singing about.
September 30, 2019
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Sid and Nancy is a fascinating record of a volatile period in music history.
February 20, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Alexa Dalby
Dog and Wolf
Sid & Nancy is a brutal tour de force.
December 27, 2018 | Rating: B+
Nathanael Hood
Audiences Everywhere…
Plot
Morbid biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. When the Sex Pistols break up after their fateful US tour, Vicious attempts a solo career while in the grip of heroin addiction. One morning, Nancy is found stabbed to death and Sid is arrested for her murder.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Gary Oldman is outstanding as the late punk rock icon Sid Vicious.
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